Written by guest blogger, Amy Wolfe, President and CEO of AgSafe. AgSafe works to provide employers and employees in the agricultural industry with the education and resources needed to prevent injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.

In today’s agricultural industry, contract labor is playing an increasingly important role in getting our vast array of commodities to consumers. Whether it’s a result of labor shortages or growers’ desire to minimize the risks inherent in being an employer, the number of licensed farm labor contractors (FLCs) is on the rise to help fill that need. It is imperative that farmers understand the legal parameters for FLCs and how to ensure they are working with a business legally in compliance.

Read on as I discuss the basics of farm labor contractors, how to find those that are legally registered, and what additional paperwork a farmer should request before working with one.

During the study, twelve farm owners and more than eighty farmworkers in California were interviewed to gain insight into the best labor management practices and the benefits that farmworkers value most.

Read on as we discuss the most outstanding practices identified in the study. It should come as no surprise that farmworkers value what most of us have come to expect or desire from our own places of work: a living wage, respectful treatment, safe conditions, health insurance, benefits, and the ability to advocate for improved conditions without fear of retribution.

We hope the following examples inspire you to think about your farm’s labor management practices and make improvements if needed!

Our Labor & Worker Safety series continues today with a step-by-step guide to hiring farm employees. Even though it’s up to the employer to decide whom they hire, it’s a critical management decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you hire the right person, they almost manage themselves; hire the wrong person, and all the money you invest in training and compensation will be wasted.

Read on as we discuss which skills are needed for the job, the design of a selection process, getting the most out of the various selection tools, and suggestions on how to bring the new employee aboard the farm business.

What is happening with immigration reform, an issue vital to farmers across the country? In fact, nothing of consequence has happened since the Senate passed its immigration bill in June 2013. Some piecemeal legislation has passed House committees, but no floor vote has been allowed on any immigration bill, and it is unlikely that any will be taken this year.

The Obama Administration has deported over 2 million undocumented immigrants and, without immigration reform, farmers will continue to face an ever-shrinking labor force.

One of the great ironies of the immigration debate is the conflicting voices of people who profess to believe in free markets, yet demand more government intervention when it comes to policing immigrants. Another irony is the tech industry with their H-1B visas. But, the worst examples are the farm labor guest worker programs — both the House Judiciary Committee’s program as well as the one included in the Senate immigration package.

Today our Labor & Worker Safety Series continues with tips on heat illness prevention! Summer in CA is heating up, which means farmers and ranchers need to think about how to avoid heat illness among their employees.

By law, CA employers with outdoor places of employment must comply with the Heat Illness Prevention Standard T8 CCR 3395. These procedures have been created to assist employers in crafting their own heat illness prevention plan, and to reduce the risk of work-related heat illnesses among their employees.

In working environments with an even higher than normal risk for heat illness (during a heat wave, or other severe working or environmental conditions), it is the employer’s duty to exercise greater caution and additional protective measures beyond what is listed below.

Remember this is not a one-size-fits-all guide. In order to implement these procedures in your operation, you’ll need to evaluate and consider the individual conditions present at your farm, such as the size of your crew, length of the work-shift, and the ambient temperature.

Today our Labor & Worker Safety series continues with tips on how to prepare for an inspection and what your rights are as an employer should one occur. With some preparation, these tips will be easy to implement and hopefully save you the cost of fines and other legal trouble!

Many family farms with interns, also known as apprentices, have incurred heavy fines in the last few years for non-compliance with employment and workers’ compensation laws. Whether you call it an “internship”, “apprenticeship”, or “volunteer”, they are all considered the same under the federal labor law, and therefore fit in the legal definition of an employer-employee relationship. (There are a few rare, specific exemptions, but not applicable to most situations.)

While it is not recommended, many farmers choose to “fly under the radar” by hiring part-time or full-time help with customized payment plans. Examples of these payment plans could be paying a fixed price for a period of time, paying in-kind partially or fully, or establishing interns/apprentices as 1099 contractors (no, this is not legal!). Many have gotten away with these scenarios, but be warned that there are risks associated with loose arrangements.

Today, our Labor & Worker Safety series continues with tips from Paul Underhill, of Terra Firma Farm, and Veronica Guinto, an immigration lawyer based in the Bay Area. We recently heard them both speak at the CA Small Farm Conference, where Paul described his personal experience with a labor audit that cost him nearly $100,000, and Veronica offered the legal perspective of how to classify your employees and avoid extremely costly audits.

Many small farmers have been operating the same labor systems for many years, and don’t know they are doing anything wrong! Read these tips, many gleaned from the very comprehensive CA Guide to Labor Laws for Small Farmers, to evaluate the legality of your own systems, and ask yourself, are they up to date? Are you keeping proper records? Are your employees happy?

With the popularity of our Water & Drought Management series, we’re excited to announce our next two-month series of blog features about Labor & Worker Safety. The series will be a mix of practical toolkits created by our partners and stories and new tips from Cooperative Extension advisors, labor specialists and attorneys, experienced vegetable and livestock farmers, and newer farmers developing a labor force.

To kick off the series, we’re starting with tips from Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farm in Virginia, about turning interns into successful farmers. Joel works hard to cultivate a sense of excitement and leadership in his interns, not to mention provide a supportive and fair work relationship.

Read on about Joel’s intern program, which he shared at the recent first annual Permaculture Voices Conference in Southern California, and why he thinks a more nurturing introduction to the farming world will help beginning farmers stay the course and eventually succeed in their own operations.